Regenerative gas-furnace.



No. 867,038. v y PATENTED SEPT. 24, 1907.

` G. HATTUN.

REGENERATIVE GrASFURNAGL.l l

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 2B. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RE GE N ERATIV E GAS-FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 24, 1907.

Application filed December 23, 1905. Serial No. 293,660.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE HATTON, a subject of His Majesty the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Saltwells House, near Brierley Hill, Staffordshire, England, iron and steel manufacturer, have invented new and useful Improvements in Regenerative Gas- Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists of the herein described improvements in regenerative' gas furnaces and the object of this invention is to provide a regenerative gas furnace in which the ame and products of combustion will pass from one side or end to the other side or end of the heating chamber continuously in one direction in combination with the air supply to support combustion arranged so as to be reversed to enter the furnace through y one or other of two regenerators which are arranged to be alternately heated by the waste heat from the furnace. Thus the gas supply does not have to be reversed but only the air supply and the Waste gas outlet from the heating chamber through one or other ofthe regenerators.

I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation on line A, B of Fig. 2 of a combined gas producer and regenerative gas furnace constructed in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the same taken on line C, D of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the same taken on line E, F of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional elevation of the same taken on line G, H of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a cross sectional elevation of the same taken on line J, K of Fig. l and Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the furnace and Fig. 7 is a plan of the bottom guide rail of the slide valve of the furnace.

The same reference numerals indicate the same parts in all the gures.

In carrying out this invention I provide a hearth or heating chamber 1 at one end (or at one side) of which' gas and air enter through the ports or openings 2, 3, 4, 5 and at the other end (or side) of the heating chamber there is a narrow chamber or furnace neck 6 through which the ame or products of combustion pass out from the hearth or heating chamber 1. The gas producer or gas producers is or are by preference, although not necessarily, constructed as part of the furnace as shown on my drawings where there are two ordinary gas producers which are marked respectively 7 and l8 arranged at one end of the furnace so that the gas produced therefrom passes to the space 9 and through the gas ports v10, 11, 12 into the mixing chamber 13 and so on through the ports 2, 3, 4, 5 to the hearth or heating chamber 1. The hot air is admitted into the mixing chamber 13 through the air nostrils 14, 15, 16, 17 from one or other of the regenerators as hereinafter described.

Situated one on either side of the furnace neck 6 there are two iiame fiues 18, 19 which lead therefrom in a downward direction and one or other of these iiues alternately conveys the iame or products of combustion scribed to one or other of two regenerators 21, 22 situated below the hearth or heating chamber 1 and filled with ordinary fire-brick checker Work which regenerators 21, 22, are connected through an air reversing valve 23 of the usual type with the chimney 24. The two regenerat'ors 21, 22 are constructed parallel to one another but on either side of a central equalizing chamber 25, which chamber runs parallel to and between the two regenerators 21, 22 and is by preference arranged underneath the heating chamber 1.

One end of each of the regenerators 21, 22, one end ofthe central equalizing chamber 25 and the lower end of each of the flame flues 18, 19 communicate with the heat diverting valve 20 by means of a separate port or opening to each, thus there are five ports or'openings (marked respectively 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30) side by side in one line and terminating in one plane in the following order reading from left to right viz:-

Left hand Left hand C e n t r a l Right hand Righthand ameiue regenera.- equalizregeneraflame flue port. tor port. ingchamtor port. port.

ber port.

Resting on or against these five ports is placed the heat diverting valve 20, so constructed that it covers the five ports 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and along the line of which ports it is traversed in one or other direction, connecting the ports together in alternate pairs as hereinafter described, the movement of the valve being effected either by hand or by any suitable mechanical means. The valve 20 itself consists of an elongated hollow cover or box constructed either wholly of refractory materials as shown on my drawings or of an outside metal casing 21 lined on the inside with refractory materials. The hollow or inner side of the valve facing the ports is divided centrally by means of a rib 31 into ltwo equal sized cavities 32, 33 each long enough to cover and connect together any two adjacent ports or openings while the valve is further extended at both ends 34, 35, beyond these cavities 32, 33 for a length suflicient to cover and close either of the two end ports 26 and 30.

The face or plane in which the ive ports 26, 27 28, 29, 30 terminate and upon which the heat diverting valve 2O traverses from left to right and vice versa from right to left is by preference a plane slightly inclined to the vertical as shown or it may be a vertical or a `through the heat diverting valve 20, hereafter dey horizontal plane and upon it the heat diverting valve 20 occupies alternately one of tWo positions, namely, the left hand position and the right hand position. When the heat diverting valve 20 is in the right hand position as in Fig. 3 its right hand cavity 33 Connects the right hand flue port 30 With the right hand regenerator port 29 and the left hand cavity 32 of the valve connects the central equalizing chamber port 28 with the left hand regenerator port 27 While the extended portion 34 of the heat diverting valve on the left hand completely closes the left hand flue port 26. With the heat diverting valve in this position, the products of combustion leaving the furnace through the furnace neck 6 pass Wholly down the right hand flue 19 through the cavity 33 in the heat diverting valve 20 into the left hand regenerator 2l after traversing which and depositing their heat therein they pass out of the right hand regenerator 21 through the air reversing valve 23 to the chimney 24. At the same time air passes in under the air inlet valve 36 and past the air reversing valve 23 through the left hand regenerator 22, wherein it becomes heated, thence through the port 27 and left hand cavity 32 of the heat diverting valve 20 into the equalizing chamber 25 from which it is led by means ofthe vertical ports 37 to the air ports 14, 15, 16 and 17 at the inlet or combustion end of the furnace Where it meets With the incoming gas entering by the gas ports 10,' 11 and 12.

When the heat diverting valve is moved into the left hand position the left hand flue port 26 and the left hand regenerator port 27 are connected by means of the left hand valve cavity 32 and the central equalizing chamber -port 28 and the right hand regenerator port 29 are connected by the right hand valve cavity 33, and the right hand flue port 30 is completely closed by the right hand extension 35 of the heat diverting valve 20. In this position the products oi combustion leave the furnace neck 6 by means of the left hand flue 18 passing into and through the left hand regenerator 22 to the air valve 23 and chimney 24 While air entering at 36 in the air valve passes therethrough and enters the right hand regenerator 2l passing through it and by means of the right hand valve cavity 33 into the central equalizing chamber 25 and thence up the passages 37 to the air nostrils 14, 15, 16, 17, at the inlet or combustion end of the furnace. In this manner, in either position of the heat diverting valve 20, the products of combustion pass continuously out of the furnace l through the furnace neck 6 and by means of one or other of the flues 18, 19 into one or other of the regenerators 21, 22 at the same time air is continuously passing through one or other of the regenerators 21, 22 into the central equalizing chamber 25 to the combustion end of the furnace.

The function of the equalizing chamber 25 is, as its name indicates, to equalize the hot air passing therethrough. It is fjlled With checker brick-Work which is heated by the hot air passing therethrough from one or other of the regenerator chambers 2l, 22, the temperature of which vary as the regenerator chamber through lWhich the air is passing becomes gradually cooler While the other regenerator chamber is being heated by the waste heat from the furnace. The checker bricks in the equalizing chamber 25 retain some of the heat which is given out by the air from the hot regenerator chamber after the valves have been reversed and maintain this heat to some extent and give it out to the hot air as the regenerator chamber cools, and thus by using the equalizing chamber the temperature of the air passing up the passage 37 into the furnace is maintained more constant than Would be the case if the regenerator chambers 2l, 22, were used Without any equalizing chamber.

The heat diverting valve 2O can read ily be supported for horizontal movement by its outer casing 54 being provided with hook like brackets 36, 37, which are adapted to slide along a fixed horizontal bar 38 immediately above the valve, the lower part of the valvebeing provided with rollers 39, 40 adapted to bear against and slide along a horizontal rail 41 which is fixed to the end of the furnace and the valve 20 can be moved to and fro by any convenient means such for instance as by the hydraulic cylinder 53 which is fixed to and carried by the end of the furnace and has a piston rod 46 projecting at each end and fixed to brackets 47, 48 fixed to the valve. The valve 20 is connected to the air reversing valve 23 in such a Way that the movement of the heat diverting valve 20 to the right hand or to the left hand simultaneously operates the reversing valve 23 so as to reverse the direction of the air entering one or other of the regenerators at the same time that the direction of the Waste heat and gases from the furnace is reversed. This can readily be done by connecting the lever 42 of the reversing valve by chains 43, 44 to the heat diverting value 2O (see Fig. 2), guide pulleys 45 being provided to carry the chains 43, 44.

The hearth or heating chamber 1 shown on my drawings is of the ordinary stationary type, but if desired the hearth or heating chamber may be constructed to tip or rotate for the purpose of pouring out the metal, as will readily be understood.

While I prefer to construct my gas producer or producers as an attachment to and as forming part of my [urnace as above described and shown upon my drawings it is to be understood that my invention is equally applicable for the utilization of gas produced in separate gas producers, and it is eminently applicable to the utilization of natural gas in which latter case it is obvious that no gas producer would be required.

The bottom rail 4l against which the rollers 39, 40 of the sliding valve 20 travel, is, as shown in Fig. 7 by preference made With inclined notches 49, 50, 5l 52, corresponding with the extreme positions of the rollers 39, 40 so that immediately the valve 20 commences to move in either direction the rollers 39, 40, ride up the inclines and lift the valve slightly off the face ol' the ports 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, thus preventing the face of the valve from rubbing and therefore facilitating its movements.

What l claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A regenerative gas furnace comprising :1 heating chamber, an equalizing chamber' connected therewith, two regenerators placed one on each side of the equalizng chamber and means for connecting one regenerator with the heating chamber and the other regenerator with the equalizing chamber or vise versa.

2. In a regenerative gas furnace, the combination of a heating chamber having gas and air inlets at one end or side and two outlets at the opposite end or side terminat ing in port holes, a heat diverting valve adapted to open and close said port holes, two regenerator chambers provided With a reversible air supply and having openings between the said port holes, and an equalizing chamber made with an inlet between the tWo openings to the regenerators and an outlet leading tothe air and gas inlet end of the heating chamber, said valve being so arranged with the air reversing valve that the ame and products of combustion which pass continuously in one direction through the heating chamber can be caused to oW alter` nately through one or other of the two regenerators to the stack while the fresh air from the air reversing valve Hows through the other regenerator and through the equalizing chamber to the air inlet to the heating chamber, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two Subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE HATTON.

Witnesses CHARLES BoswoR'rH KELLEY, THOMAS .ToHN RoWE. 

